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United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia, 2012
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Georgia's 2012 elections U.S. House • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access |
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July 31, 2012 |
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The 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Georgia took place on November 6, 2012. Voters elected 14 candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Georgia is one of 16 states to use an open primary system. When runoff elections are used, voters must vote in same party's runoff election as they voted for in the first round election.
Voter registration: Voters must have registered to vote by July 2, 2012, to vote in the primary election.[1] (Information about registering to vote)
- See also: Georgia elections, 2012
According to the New York Times race ratings in October 2012, one of the 14 districts is considered to be in play, District 12.[2]
The Center for Voting and Democracy (Fairvote) said that Democrats would win four districts while Republicans would win nine seats. It did not make a projection for the remaining district.[3]
Primary competitiveness
Georgia was tied with Alabama for having the 34th most competitive congressional primaries in 2012, with 42.86% of major party primaries having been contested (12 out of 28). The national average was 54.31%.
Thirteen U.S. House incumbents were seeking re-election in Georgia in 2012. 6 of those 13 (46.15%) faced a primary challenger. Nationwide, 200 out of the 386 incumbents seeking re-election faced a primary challenger (51.81%).
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 6 election, the Republican Party held eight of the 13 Congressional seats from Georgia. However, the state gained one seat after the 2010 census and elected 14 representatives.
| Members of the U.S. House from Georgia -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 5 | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 8 | 9 | |
| Total | 13 | 14 | |
Incumbents
Heading into the 2012 election, the incumbents for the 13 congressional districts were:
Margin of victory for winners
There were a total of 14 seats up for election in 2012 in Georgia. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the top-two vote getters. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%.
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Vote | Top Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia, District 10 |  Paul Broun |
100% | 211,065 | Unopposed |
| Georgia, District 11 | Phil Gingrey |
37.1% | 287,321 | Patrick Thompson |
| Georgia, District 12 |  John Barrow |
7.4% | 259,121 | Lee Anderson |
| Georgia, District 13 | David Scott |
43.5% | 281,538 | S. Malik |
| Georgia, District 14 | Tom Graves |
45.9% | 219,192 | Daniel Grant |
| Georgia, District 1 | Jack Kingston |
26% | 249,580 | Lesli Messinger |
| Georgia, District 2 | Sanford Bishop |
27.6% | 255,161 | John House |
| Georgia, District 3 | Lynn Westmoreland |
100% | 232,380 | Unopposed |
| Georgia, District 4 | Henry C. Johnson |
47.1% | 283,902 | J. Chris Vaughn |
| Georgia, District 5 | John Lewis |
68.8% | 277,665 | Howard Stopeck |
| Georgia, District 6 | Tom Price |
29% | 294,034 | Jeff Kazanow |
| Georgia, District 7 | Rob Woodall |
24.3% | 252,066 | Steve Reilly |
| Georgia, District 8 | Austin Scott |
100% | 197,789 | Unopposed |
| Georgia, District 9 | Doug Collins |
52.4% | 252,153 | Jody Cooley |
General election candidates
| District | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch? |
| 1st | Lesli Rae Messinger Jack Kingston |
Jack Kingston | Jack Kingston |
No |
| 2nd | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. John House |
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. |
No |
| 3rd | Lynn A. Westmoreland |
Lynn A. Westmoreland | Lynn A. Westmoreland |
No |
| 4th | Henry C. Johnson, Jr. Chris Vaughn |
Henry C. Johnson, Jr. | Henry C. Johnson, Jr. |
No |
| 5th | John Lewis Howard Stopeck |
John Lewis | John Lewis |
No |
| 6th | Jeff Kazanow Tom Price |
Tom Price | Tom Price |
No |
| 7th | Steve Reilly Rob Woodall |
Rob Woodall | Rob Woodall |
No |
| 8th | Austin Scott |
Austin Scott | Austin Scott |
no |
| 9th | Jody Cooley Doug Collins |
Tom Graves | Doug Collins |
No |
| 10th | Paul Broun |
Paul Broun | Paul Broun |
No |
| 11th | Patrick Thompson Phil Gingrey |
Phil Gingrey | Phil Gingrey |
No |
| 12th | John Barrow Lee Anderson |
John Barrow | John Barrow |
No |
| 13th | David Scott S. Malik |
David Scott | David Scott |
No |
| 14th | Daniel Grant Tom Graves |
N/A | Tom Graves |
N/A |
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
August 11, 2012, Republican primary runoff candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
- No candidates filed to run
- Lynn A. Westmoreland
July 31, 2012, primary results
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4th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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5th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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6th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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7th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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8th Congressional District
General election candidates
- No candidates declared to run
- Austin Scott
July 31, 2012, primary results
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9th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 11, 2012, Republican primary runoff candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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- Note: Candidates Clifton McDuffie and Hunter Bicknell indicated an intent to run, but did not file with the Georgia Secretary of State Elections Division before the filing deadline.[4]
10th Congressional District
General election candidates
- No candidates declared an intent to run
- Paul Broun
July 31, 2012, primary results
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11th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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12th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 11, 2012, Republican primary runoff candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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13th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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14th Congressional District
General election candidates
July 31, 2012, primary results
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Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Georgia
On August 22, 2011, Georgia Republican leadership released their proposed Congressional redistricting map. Due to population growth, Georgia gained a 14th Congressional district following the 2010 census. The new district, according to the plan, is located in the northwestern part of the state.[23] U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R) was drawn into the new district, leaving his former 9th District seat open in 2012. The new 9th District leaned Republican.[23] In addition, the plan displaced US Rep. John Barrow (D), but Barrow (who had been displaced before) planned to move in order to remain in the 12th District.[23] US Rep. Sanford Bishop's (D) district became a majority-minority district. Also, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey's (R) 11th District picked up part of Atlanta. Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the plan was expected to increase the Republican majority in the state's Congressional delegation.[23]
Footnotes
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Election Dates," accessed April 25, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed July 25, 2012
- ↑ , "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Georgia," September 2012
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 4.35 4.36 4.37 4.38 4.39 4.40 4.41 4.42 Georgia Secretary of State "Candidate List" accessed, May 28, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ AP Results "Georgia U.S. House Runoff Results" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ Albany Herald "Rick Allen to run against Sanford Bishop" accessed February 16, 2012
- ↑ WTVM "Army veteran running against Bishop for Congress" accessed February 16, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Associated Press "Results" accessed July 31, 2012
- ↑ Times Herald "Kingsley announces run for Third District Congressional seat" accessed February 16, 2012
- ↑ Rockdale Citizen "Rockdale resident Vaughn announces run for Congress" accessed February 16, 2012
- ↑ ajc.com "Michael Johnson announces Democratic challenge to John Lewis" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ ajc.com "Lewis to defend congressional seat in 2012" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ AP Results "Georgia U.S. House Runoff Results" accessed August 21, 2012
- ↑ ajc.com "Doug Collins becomes first in race for new 9th" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ Gainsville Times.com "Radio show host to run for U.S. House: Zoller wants to be a conservative voice in Congress" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ Athens Banner Herald "Retired Army officer will challenge Broun" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ Roll Call "Race Ratings: In Georgia, New Geography Won’t Hurt GOP," accessed March 11, 2012
- ↑ Savannah Morning News "Congressman John Barrow discloses prostate cancer" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 ajc.com "Maria Sheffield considers a move to south Georgia for 12th District contest" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ The Augusta Chronicle "McLeod joins 12th Congressional District race" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ ajc.com "GOP redistricting plan would tighten grip on congressional delegation" accessed December 4, 2011
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Atlanta Journal Constitution, "GOP redistricting plan would tighten grip on congressional delegation," August 22, 2011
